Hong Kong, January 2014: Day 2 at Horizon Plaza in Ap Lei Chau

Vietnam vet meets Mary Kate Olsen

The one thing I love about going to Hong Kong in January is that I get to wear the Fall/Winter clothes I've accumulated during the early years of my married life, when Dada was still a lawyer in Manhattan. They've been unused for close to 3 years now, ever since we moved back to Asia. 

I excitedly packed my old Lanvin boots for this trip. I've had them since 2008, back when I was still pregnant with Berry.

Honeys, let me tell you. Don't scrimp on shoes. I've had these for 5 years now, and they still look great, considering they have survived 2 East Coast fall/winter seasons, and 3 years in storage. I remember searching high & low for them, ever since I saw Mary Kate Olsen wearing a pair back in 2006.

It was love at first sight then. It's still love when I slip into them. Even if I just wear them with Topshop leggings, an Isabel Marant pour H&M linen tee, and a Gap army parka, it makes the whole look I think. Plus, these boots truly are made for walking. 

The whole of Saturday was devoted to outlet shopping, window shopping and eating. The first order of the day was brunch at Tim Ho Wan.

Since we were staying in Admiralty, we decided to go to the Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong Station, Central. Take note that even if the address on the website says IFC Mall, it is not in IFC Mall per se but at Podium Level 1, at the Airport Express check-in area, close to the elevators.

If you step out the train at Central station, just walk towards Hong Kong Station/Airport Express and Tung Chung. When you take the escalator up to Hong Kong Station, you'll reach the level where the taxi stands are. Walk straight and then take another escalator up to Podium 1. That's where Tim Ho Wan IFC is at.

We got to Tim Ho Wan at about 10:45, and we found ourselves seated in just about 10 minutes, with just 2 groups ahead of us. Shortly after 11, seemingly appearing from nowhere, a throng of about 20 would-be-diners were outside, waiting for a table. I strongly suggest that if you intend to eat at Tim Ho Wan, make sure you get there before 11 am.

That said, the baked BBQ buns were as good as I remembered, and Dada & I enjoyed them a lot.

We had the steamed egg cake, shrimp rice rolls, hakaw and pork& shrimp dumplings too, and while they were plump and filling, I am of the opinion that one goes to Tim Ho Wan to enjoy those delicious pork buns. I am so happy that Tim Ho Wan is finally opening in Megamall so I don't have to wait for the next trip to HK or Singapore just to get my fix.

With happy tummies, we went down the elevator to get a taxi to take us to Horizon Plaza in Ap Lei Chau.

Horizon Plaza at Ap Lei Chau is the outlet mall where shopping legends are made of, consisting of 28 floors of fashion, food, home decor and furniture finds.

This is where Lane Crawford, Joyce, Goods of Desire, Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Jacobs, Armani, Marni and the distributors of Carven, Anya Hindmarch, Repetto, 3.1 Phillip Lim and more bring all their past season stuff to be marked down to sometimes, almost nothing. 

Love Carven? Check out bluebell warehouse on the 19th floor, which also houses past season Anya Hindmarch, Nancy Gonzalez, Blumarine and Moschino

Lane Crawford had stuff down to up to 90% off.

While a lot of the shoes were too wild for my taste, such as these platform Alaias...

...and studded & beribonned Birkenstocks...

Lane Crawford had Swedish Hasbeens in my size and within my taste range. Reasonably priced too at just about HKD1000.

The cream Celine sweater was at extra 20% off and the white Celine jacket was being sold at an extra 30% off the marked down price...

The last time we were in Hong Kong, my friend Naomi was able to buy Isabel Marant pumps at the  IT Outlet.

Unfortunately for me, there were no shoes to be found. They only had a paltry rack of about 10 pieces of Isabel Marant clothing, with a pair of jeans (not in my size) at 70% off.

Joyce had dresses by Mary Katrantzou, Galliano, Margiela, and more plus a vast array of shoes.

Including Rick Owens and Rodarte. Incidentally, just across is Pollux Books, where you can leave the husband and kids while you peruse the designer-filled racks at Joyce.

Rick Owens wedge and calf hair trimmed Rodarte heels

Girls like me who love flats will love J. Journey Outlet - home of marked down Repetto, Cath Kidston & Uggs.

When I was there, they were selling Repettos BBs for HKD1000 to HKD1500.

As well as the Zizi oxfords and Jackson loafers. There was a even a small section of Repetto for little girls. OMG.

MaxMara offered an extra 20% for the purchase of 4 or more items.

YSL had Belle du Jour clutches for only HKD4000

And Tribute pumps for HKD4400, with some at an additional 30% off for certain sizes. If you are sized 37.5 to 39 in YSL, there's a wide selection of colors to choose from!

Moms would love Bumps to Babes,

They had ELC toys at 50% off!

Architect/Interior Designer Kellyn See frequents Horizon Plaza to check out the furniture and home accessories stores and of all the stores here, I cannot wait to go back to explore the home goods stores more! She says I can actually arrange to have my purchases shipped to Manila too!

At a store selling lacquerware:

At Lene Bjerre

Tree at the 28th floor

OVOstudio

Pet lovers would have a field day at Whiskers N Paws, and if you get hungry from going through all 28 floors, there are a host of cafes and pastry shops such as Sift where you can stop by for coffee and a sweet treat to recharge.

Whiskers n Paws, a shop devoted to supplying the needs of your furry friends

Some tips to help you get to Horizon Plaza & navigate all 28 floors if you are short on time:

- Forget about taking the bus or a shuttle. Just cab it. It will cost you anywhere from HKD95-115 if you are coming from Central

- Get a copy of the directory from the front desk at the ground floor so you can easily find the stores you want to see

- Instead of waiting for the elevator at each and every floor, take the elevator all the way up to Tree at the 28th floor and take the stairs going down

- Leave the husband at home or at the hotel. Let him do his own thing, send him off to a computer shop or bookstore while you devote a few hours or half a day at Ap Lei Chau. Remember, SPACE aka the Prada outlet is also just a few minutes away. Impatient husbands/boyfriends are programmed to kill the shopping mojo or at least curb your spending. Haha.

Horizon Plaza
2 Lee Wing Street
Ap Lei Chau, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2554 9089
Hours: 10 am to 7 pm

What I Wore...

...to run errands and drop by L'Occitane for Happy Hands Day 

silk top from Madewell, jeans from Cheap Monday, Louboutin Simple 85

...to run errands and pick up Berry from school

dress from APC Madras, APC belt, Repetto BB

...to go to war. Joke! Actually I just remembered I had these old pants and tried to style them to make them look more "now". Jenna Lyons was the inspiration

burnout tee from Nation Ltd., camouflage pants bought 8 years ago at Suan Lum Night Market in BKK, Louboutin Simple 85

...to bring the little ones to Blow-up Babies for a photo session

button down from +J Uniqlo, trousers from J. Crew, oxfords from Bimba y Lola

...to go on a massage date with Dear Hubby

shirt from Old Navy, shorts from H&M, Marni flatforms

...to bring Berry to school. She specifically requested that I wear a dress, so tadaaa!

dress from AllSaints, Isabel Marant sandals

26 Weeks: Prints Please

Suddenly, I seem to have somehow started accumulating printed dresses. From graphic to ethnic, my wardrobe of mostly solids, checks and plaids has been infiltrated with loud prints. I only started with at most two printed dresses, and now I have like, five. Ehehe! Of course, I am still staying true to my vow of keeping a capsule wardrobe.

Here's what I wore at 26 weeks:

Marni x H&M dress with Marni platforms and accessories from J.Crew, Fenton/Fallon and Alexis Bittar, when Rissa & I attended the MEGA event with the theme "Global chic"...

Ran errands in this t-shirt jersey dress from Twenty8Twelve (this was my breastfeeding dress for Berry because it has snaps on the shoulder, so easy to remove hehe), Repetto BB flats and accessories from J.Crew and Fenton/Fallon

Reminiscing + A Visit to Repetto in Greenbelt 3

The shopping landscape of Manila surely has changed since I last left it in 2006. I remember starting this blog because I wanted to document the things I wanted to buy, because it was so frustrating not finding anything here. Remember, this was before online shopping really hit mainstream and Johnny Air's main income streams were balikbayan boxes and remittances, and not air shipping of online purchases, heehee.

Repettos were high on my wishlist then, that I would often seek it out when I was traveling abroad. I finally found them in Gravity Pope in Vancouver, but they were so expensive there, that Dada dissuaded me from buying a pair. I ended up buying my first pair at Bird in Brooklyn in 2007. They had these patent BBs on sale, so I made the trek to their store in Brooklyn as a side trip while visiting my friend Tet in Park Slope!

Yes, this pair above is still very much alive and still looks good. So, worth it. My next pair of Repettos were these Repetto Jacksons. I saw Kate Moss wearing a pair with black, cropped trousers and I was like, "OMG! I have to have that!". Then Michael Jackson died, and my first thought was, "Now these shoes are gonna be classics". So I went online and bought a pair at La Garconne. Heehee.

My third, and certainly not the last pair, are these sparkly, crackly BBs in Carbone that Dada bought for me. See how times have changed? Before, he would stop me from buying Repettos, and now he himself buys me a pair. Ahhh true love. Heehee!

So when Cecile aka Chuvaness told me about Repetto opening in Manila a few months ago, it was like a dream come true. I couldn't wait! A Repetto store right here in Manila, that's the ultimate! Especially for somebody who practically lives in flats day in and day out (especially these preggy days).

Once it opened, Lawrence of Suyen Corp. made arrangements for me to visit the store so I can take photos to share here in the blog. Berry Ballerina, Nana & I came by after Holy Week so we can take a peek. Berry was thrilled to bits.  As soon as she saw the pretty tutus behind the shop window, she was practically squealing. Then she saw these dance leotards and tutus and she didn't know where to start looking...

plus there was an enticing brass barre where she did her own version of barre exercises:

True to tradition, since Rose Repetto started out of her desire to create the best dance footwear for her dancer son, the Repetto boutique carries pointe shoes and ballet slippers...

As well as totes, backpacks and duffel bags for stashing your dance essentials in:

Then of course, for frustrated prima ballerinas like toi et moi, there are these BBs, Zizis and Bolchois to prance around in for daily use:

All in all, the Repetto boutique has something for both serious dancers as well as stylish girls about town, who want comfortable and classic pairs of ballet inspired footwear. But oh, let me remind you that Repetto has French sizing, so you would need to go a full size up on Repettos. Take for instance, I am a US 6.5 and my Repettos are FR37.5 - so when you go there, make sure to ask for a size bigger than what you normally wear. Don't think your feet suddenly ballooned or something.

Shoes start at about Php11,000 and go up to about Php14,000. They also had these smooshy leather bags that are as soft and supple as their footwear. I wasn't able to check the price though. 

The Repetto boutique is worth a visit - if only to indulge your ballerina dreams. It's my slice of heaven on earth, or a slice of Paris in Manila - for my feet at least.

Repetto Manila
G/F Greenbelt 3
Makati